Forge FC resumes CONCACAF League journey, this time before a home crowd

After much work behind the scenes, Forge is now able to welcome CAI — helped by the fact that the Panama side is fully vaccinated. Forge is 2-0-0 at home in the CONCACAF League.

“Just playing in front of our fans, playing on this field, gives us a very comfortable approach on how we go into the game,” said Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “There’s not many variables on quality of pitch or what we’re going to find. So from that end, we’ve played some very good football here and we expect that to continue (Tuesday) night. And that’s need to be our advantage. Our crowd and the field and the way it plays for us.”

CAI, currently third in the Panama league at 8-5-3, knocked Toronto FC out of 2019 CONCACAF Champions League with a 5-1 aggregate triumph in the round of 16.

“First and foremost, Independiente is a very good squad,” said Smyrniotis. “They’re a squad with a pretty good history in this competition, going back a few years.”

Forge, third in the CPL at 9-7-1, It is coming off a 2-1 win Wednesday over Valour FC in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship. That game saw the return of veteran forward Emery Welshman, who re-signed with the team earlier in the week.

One of 12 teams in the CONCACAF League’s two-legged preliminary round, Forge won the first leg 3-1 over CD FAS on goals from Tristan Borges, Mo Babouli and David Choiniere. Play was suspended in the 85th minute for some 20 minutes after lights went out in the empty Estadio Cuscatlan.

The second leg finished in a 2-2 tie with Joshua Navarro and Jonathan Grant scoring for Forge.

Forge made it to the CONCACAF League quarterfinal last year, losing in a penalty shootout loss to Haiti’s Arcahaie FC. It then lost 1-0 to Honduras’ CD Marathon in a play-in match, which represented one final chance to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

Forge downed El Salvador’s CD Municipal Limeno 2-1 in the preliminary round and Panama’s Tauro FC 2-1 in the round of 16 prior to the loss to Arcahaie.

In 2019, Forge beat Guatemala’s Antigua GFC 2-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round before losing 4-2 to Honduras’ Olimpia in the round of 16.

“Every player around the world wants to play continental football … It’s always a great thing to play some competition from a different country,” said Smyrniotis. “Somebody who brings something different to the table, away from our regular weekly matches here in the Canadian Premier League.

“And I think the guys have enjoyed it. They understand the importance of it and I think they’ve done a great job rising to each occasion.”

Smyrniotis said defenders Maxime Tissot and Dejan Jakovic and forward Omar Browne, a former Independiente player, are unavailable for the match Tuesday.

Forge FC resumes CONCACAF League journey, this time before a home crowd

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